Safety

Tip of the week: Look to NFPA 96 for help with kitchen fire prevention

Hospital Safety Connection, November 18, 2009

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A cooking fire at a New Jersey hospital serves as a reminder that grease can be a hazard.
 
The fire stared in an eatery at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune on Saturday, according to the Asbury Park Press.
 
Fire traveled through a duct to the roof, but didn’t spread to other parts of the hospital, the Press reported. An immediate cause wasn’t known, although in our review of past incidents in other medical facilities, grease and hot cooking appliances can lead to trouble without proper precautions.
 
The 2000 edition of the Life Safety Code generally requires hospitals to comply with the 1998 edition of NFPA 96, Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations.
 
NFPA 96 sets a variety of provisions for fire protection and employee training in hospital kitchens, including but not limited to the following:
  • A fire extinguishing system must protect grease removal devices, hoods, and duct systems
  • Activation of the extinguishing system must trip the fire alarm system
  • Class K portable fire extinguishers must be available in cooking areas
  • Conspicuous signs must tell workers to activate the hood suppression system fire before using an extinguisher
Joint Commission surveyors have long been known to question fire protection and related maintenance of kitchen hoods.



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